Becoming a Father
by lunarchroniclesandcockatiels
Summary: Oneshots of Annabeth's life, through her father's eyes.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, everyone! This will be a series of oneshots about Annabeth's life through her father's eyes. Sorry about the short length of this. Next chapter will be longer, I promise. Enjoy! And please review!**

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus.

July 12, 1993

Frederick Chase stood by the door of his house, a cup of tea in one hand, a book in the other. Upon opening the door, he found a small golden cradle on the step. He quickly lifted the sheet, and to his surprise, he was met with a baby. A baby with gray eyes that seemed so familiar.

Frederick noticed an owl watching the scene from the gatepost.

Athena, he realized. The baby was a child of Athena. His child.

He picked up the child from the golden cradle. A quick check revealed she wa a girl.

Frederick noticed a small, handwritten note at the bottom of the cradle. It read:

Dear Frederick,

A gift. Please raise her. A brain child, born from my thoughts. She is our daughter.

Athena.

Too short a message for all the information it contained.

No. This couldn't be happening. He was a history professor, with little time for anything other than work. Frederick scoffed. How was he supposed to take care of a baby? He didn't have time. Dr. Frederick Chase had plans. Big plans.

And they didn't involve a squirming, red, screaming infant with her mother's eyes, and traces of his hair.

"Athena," he called. The owl cocked its head. "Why must I raise her?"

The owl turned into a woman with black hair, and cold, but inquisitive gray eyes. She frowned.

"Heroes are to be raised by their mortal parents, Frederick, and not their godly ones." Athena picked up the child and placed her in Frederick's arms.

"Here." the goddess said. "Take your daughter."

"Why can't you raise her on Olympus?" came the response.

"It isn't the way. A half mortal, on Olympus?" Athena laughed harshly. "Zeus would never approve of that."

The baby started to cry. Frederick looked down, mystified.

"She's hungry." the goddess notified him. "You have to feed her. I must be on my way. Gods aren't supposed to interact with their mortal children." And with that, she kissed the baby lightly, and disappeared.

"Wait!" he called. "What's her name?"

Receiving no answer, he racked his mind for a suitable name.

"Annabeth." he finally decided. It meant favor, grace, and God is satisfied. Or in this case, goddess.

He carried the baby into the house, hoping to find something suitable for her to eat.

 **A/N: Anyone have any suggestions for the next chapter? Oh, and please review! Reviews are greatly appreciated! Thanks, guys! :) I'll get next chapter up as soon as possible.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yay! Chapter Two is out! Thank you to those two wonderful people that reviewed!**

Frederick Chase picked up his daughter Annabeth, and placed her inside the baby seat part of the grocery cart. He had been unsuccessful in his search to find anything like baby food in his house, so now he was going shopping. He had gotten the child to fall asleep by feeding her water with an eyedropper. Now here was the question: What was everything he needed to take care of a baby?

Frederick had spent about an hour already babyproofing the house, removing tiny things Annabeth could put in her mouth, and taking down breakable statues.

"Excuse me." he said, tapping a young woman who was wearing a uniform on the shoulder. "What aisle do you keep baby supplies in?"

"Is that your first?" the woman asked, leading him to the aisle.

"How did you know?" he wondered out loud. The woman smiled slightly.

"I have seen many new parents before." she explained. "My siblings, their children, and many more besides that. You may call me Hestia."

 _Hestia. The greek goddess of family and the hearth._ Frederick thought.

"Like the greek goddess?" he questioned.

"Yes," she said, smiling brightly. " _Exactly_ like the greek goddess."

—

Later that day, Frederick drove home with a wide assortment of clothes for Annabeth, baby food, toys, and everything essential to a baby's care. Including books on how to be a good parent. This time, when Annabeth cried, he was going to know what to do.

—

 _3 Months Later, October 15, 1993_

Frederick watched as his daughter lay happily on her baby mat, playing contentedly with her animal toys. She giggled as they she dropped on top of each other.

"Look, Annabeth." he said, pointing to the stuffed animal. The baby turned her head around. "It's a cat."

"Dada." said Annabeth. She giggled, apparently pleased with herself.

Was it his imagination? Or did his daughter just talk? The books said she wouldn't start talking until at least six months, but she was a daughter of Athena, so things might be a little different with her.

"Annabeth?" he questioned. "Did you just talk?"

"Dada." Annabeth said again. So Frederick was right. His daughter had just said her first word.

"Congratulations, Annabeth." he said. "You just talked!"

Annabeth looked a bit bored. She yawned.

"Would you like me to read you a story?" he asked, placing Annabeth in his arms. "How about _The Art of War_? Well, actually, that one may be a bit advanced for you. I know! _The Odyssey_."

Frederick pulled it off the bookshelf and began to read.

"Book I." he read. "The Gods in Council- Athena's Visit to Ithaca." Annabeth giggled.

"Dada." she said. Her father chuckled.

"Not exactly." he told her. "Athena is your Mama. I'm your Dada."

She giggled, trying to move her lips in the way he did. Frederick continued the story.

Half an hour later, Annabeth fell asleep. Frederick carried her upstairs and placed her in her crib.

"Goodnight, Annabeth." he whispered. "Your mother would be proud."

 **A/N: And that concludes Chapter 2! So how was it? Good/bad? I feel like Annabeth would talk early, being a child of Athena and all.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for all the new reviews I got! Hope you like this! As always, please review!**

 _July 12, 1996_

Frederick Chase was trying to teach Annabeth to write her name. It should have been a lot easier than it was, as Annabeth already knew her alphabet perfectly in English as well as Greek.

"Come on, Annie." he urged his daughter. "You can do it. Just try one more time, all right?"

Annabeth shook her head. "No." she complained. "The letters make me dizzy."

"Just one more time?" he pleaded.

"No."

Suddenly, Frederick had an idea. He did a quick search on the computer for what he was looking for, and wrote Annabeth's name on the paper in Greek.

"Try this, Annabeth." he said. Annabeth frowned but copied her name with perfect precision.

"Look, Daddy!" she said excitedly. "I did it!"

"Yes, Annabeth. Good job! Now let's try again in English."

Annabeth frowned. "That's too hard. I like Greek better."

"How did you know it was Greek?" her father questioned. Annabeth shrugged.

"I don't know." she answered. "I just knew."

Half an hour later, Annabeth was still struggling with her name. Frederick sighed.

"We can try again tomorrow. How about right now we work on the Greek alphabet?"

"Yes." said Annabeth, who seemed a bit happier at the suggestion. "And then we can eat a cookie."

Frederick couldn't help but smile at his daughter. "Yes Annabeth," he said. "When we're done we can eat a cookie."

An hour (and two cookies, of course) later, Annabeth had learned how to write the entire Greek alphabet in Greek. Frederick knew what was coming next.

"Daddy?" Annabeth asked. "Can you teach me to read."

Dr. Chase shook his head. "I don't know how to read Ancient Greek, sweetheart."

"You can look it up on the internet." Annabeth suggested.

Her father obliged and found a course on teaching your child Ancient Greek. Within further inspection, he found that it cost two hundred dollars.

"Please, Daddy?" she begged, staring up at him with those tiny gray eyes.

Well… Frederick wasn't one to keep people from learning, and he knew Annabeth would use it. Besides, maybe after she learned Greek, she wouldn't have so much trouble with English. Annabeth was a smart little girl, and he hated to see her having trouble learning.

"All right." he said, succumbing to his daughter's pleas. "I'll buy it. But on one condition: you have to use it, and it's part of your Christmas present."

"Yes, Daddy."

"Promise, Annabeth?"

"I promise."

"Good. Now please get out of my chair so I can order it." he said. Annabeth happily obliged.

"Look!" she said, pointing out the window. "Mommy!"

Sure enough, an owl with gray eyes was perched on a tree branch close to their window.

"Hello, Athena." said Frederick. The owl cocked her head slightly, then disappeared, leaving a small parcel behind.

"Oo." said Annabeth, who was peering out the window. "Can I get it?"

Frederick shook his head. "I'll get it. You wait here, Annie." He then went outside, and retrieved the package.

 _To my dear daughter,_ it read.

 _Happy Birthday!_

 _Love,_

 _Athena_

"Happy Birthday?" he questioned. "Why does she think it's your birthday? Your birthday's July twelfth. Today is…" he trailed off, looking at the calendar. Oops.

Had he really forgotten about his daughter's birthday?

"Well then, Annabeth. Happy Birthday!" her father said.

Annabeth glared at him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Uhh….." he responded.

"You forgot." she said dryly.

Frederick sighed. "I'm sorry, Annabeth. I just got so busy with work and well, I forgot. I'll make up for it though, I promise." he said, knowing it was no excuse for missing her birthday. To cheer her up, he added "I have some presents I can give you."

The presents were from last Christmas, but he had hidden them so well, he forgot to give them to his daughter.

Annabeth perked up at the mention of presents.

"What about cake?" she asked hopefully.

"We can stack cookies on top of each other and pretend it's cake." Frederick suggested.

Annabeth frowned. "But that's not _real_ cake."

"Stay right there." Dr. Chase told his daughter, while he grabbed the phone and ordered pizza. He also managed to find a store that delivered groceries to your home called Whole Foods Market, so he ordered an ice cream cake, party hats, and plates with party pictures. Unfortunately, the groceries would take an hour to be delivered.

Frederick turned around, expecting to see his daughter sitting on the chair. No Annabeth. Now where could she have gone? And after he told her to stay put?

Sometimes he forgot that Annabeth, with all her intelligence was really only a three year old (as of today). She usually acted very mature for her age, but there were times when she would act her age. Like now.

"Annabeth?" he called. "Where are you?"

No response. He decided that she must have been hiding. Hide and seek, perhaps?

Frederick started opening closets and drawers. Because of her size, there was no limit to the amount of places she could hide.

Finally, after ten minutes, Frederick opened a closet to reveal his

tiny blonde- haired daughter.

"Annabeth?" he asked. She didn't answer him, instead only stared at a spot on the wall. Closer inspection revealed it was a spider. He grabbed a tissue and smushed it. Annabeth started to cry.

"What's wrong, Annie?"

"Spider." she said, her eyes wide and full of tears. Frederick wiped them with another tissue (not the spider one) , and picked his daughter up.

"It's gone now, Annabeth." he told her. "You don't have to cry, it's okay. Why were you hiding?"

"I saw a spider, so I had to hide. But it followed me." she explained.

The pizza man took that moment to ring the doorbell. Dr. Chase carried Annabeth with him as he opened the door. He wasn't going to take any chances.

"Here's your pizza." the man said. "Careful, it's extra _hot_." The pizza guy winked, and started to walk back to his- Ferrari?

"Wait a minute." Frederick said. "Don't I have to pay you?"

"Oh yeah!" said the pizza guy. "I forgot about that! Just make it quick. The sun is on a tight schedule, you know."

"The sun?" asked Frederick, handing him the money. "Lord Apollo, why are you dressed as a pizza delivery man?"

"Er, it's a long story." Apollo said. "I wanted to surprise my kid because I was in the area, and he ordered pizza, so yeah." He then ran back to his Ferrari.

—

Half an hour later, the groceries were delivered. They ate pizza, and Annabeth unwrapped her gifts- a copy of Dick and in Jane in Ancient Greek from her mother, blocks, playdough, art supplies, and a book from her father.

Frederick sang Happy Birthday to Annabeth, who got ice cream cake all over her face. All in all, it wasn't a bad birthday. Although it was one of the more interesting ones, Annabeth never did let him forget he had once missed her birthday.

 **A/N: So how was it? I literally spent about two hours looking stuff up for this chapter. Oh well. It was worth it. The events in this chapter will be remembered by Frederick in a later chapter.**

 **I know Annabeth seems more like she's four, but she is a daughter of Athena. My sort of cousin is three, and supposedly she talks all day at preschool.**

 **-lunarchroniclesandcockatiels**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This idea was from The 6th Spectral King. Enjoy!**

 _September 5, 1998_

Like most of the other five year olds she knew, Annabeth was starting kindergarten today. Unlike the other kindergarteners, Annabeth was not at all nervous. She had been waiting for this day ever since finding out what school was.

Annabeth marched to the front off the building with her father, wearing her new backpack and lunchbox set.

"Remember, Annabeth." her father lectured. "You don't tell anyone that your mother is Athena."

"I know." came the reply, as this was something Annabeth had heard many times before.

"And don't tell anyone you can write in Ancient Greek."

"I know." said Annabeth, rolling her eyes.

"Also-"

"It's okay, Dad." Annabeth interrupted. "I promise I know."

The rest of the walk was quiet, both of them thinking about the day to come.

When they finally reached Annabeth's classroom, Annabeth was shown to her cubby by her teacher, Miss Jane, who was full of smiles.

"Are you excited?" she asked the little blonde haired girl, who nodded happily.

"I'll get to learn about architecture, and numbers, and Ancient Greece!"

Miss Jane's smile wavered.

"Not yet, dear." she said. "But we will learn our numbers. Did your mother and father teach you your alphabet yet?"

Annabeth opened her mouth to reply something which contained. "My mother is Athena." Frederick clapped his hand over his daughter's mouth and steered her into the hallway.

"Annabeth." he hissed. "No talking about your mother, okay?"

"Fine." said Annabeth. "But she asked?"

Just then, Miss Jane poked her head into the hallway.

"Everything all right?" she called.

"Everything's fine." said Frederick. "I just had to remind Annabeth of something."

—

When it was time to go, Frederick hugged Annabeth one last time.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" he questioned. "You don't need me to stay or anything? Do you have my phone number in case there's an emergency?"

Annabeth nodded. "I'll be fine. I promise. But I think the question is if _you're_ okay."

—

Frederick walked out of the school into the chilly September air, to meet Helen at a coffee shop. He had first run into her at the grocery store, which led to them talking, which led to him meeting her for coffee. He had discovered that she liked history.

Frederick walked into the coffee shop, spotting Helen at one of the tables. He ordered coffee and sat down with her.

"How was Annabeth's first day of preschool?" she asked.

"Kindergarten." he corrected. "But I think she enjoys it."

"Well, that's good."

Frederick's mouth suddenly went dry, remembering what he was planning to ask.

"Helen," he choked out, his face turning red. "Will you have dinner with me tonight?"

 **A/N: How was it? Please review! Also, thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed so far! You have no idea how much reviews mean to me. So thanks, guys. Also, any more ideas? Also, I forgot to mention that chapter 2 was requested by CrazyBlueOwl.**

 **-lunarchroniclesandcockatiels**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello! I'll try to update again as soon as I can.**

 **Booknerds22202: Thanks, and I will!**

 **thewanderlustmarauder: Thank you, and probably.**

 **percabethbooklion: Yep. :D**

 **CrazyBlueOwl: Enjoy! :)**

 **KoalaLover-ABC-123: Thank you!**

"So, how was school?" Frederick asked as he drove his daughter home.

Annabeth's smile widened even more, if that was possible.

"It was awesome! We got to paint pictures, and I made a picture of Athens. Also, we built block towers, and mine was the best! Then we had to have rest time, but I didn't go to sleep." she replied with as much enthusiasm possible. "I can't wait to back tomorrow."

Frederick chuckled. "Oh, and Annabeth?" he said, remembering something.

"Yes?" she asked, turning her head towards him.

"We have someone coming over for dinner tonight."

"Who?" questioned his daughter.

"Her name is Helen." he replied with a hint of a smile.

Annabeth seemed to take this into careful consideration.

"Is she your girlfriend? Because you aren't _allowed_ to have a _girlfriend_."

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because I said so, and she's probably a mean old witch."

"Annabeth, you aren't supposed to call people mean old witches."

"Okay, fine." she responded. "Even if they are one?"

"Even if that."

"Daddy?" called Annabeth.

"Yes?" he replied.

"I learned a bad word at school today. Do you want to hear?"

"Who told you a bad word?"

"Meira did. The word is stupid."

Frederick couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" questioned Annabeth.

"Oh, nothing." he replied, smirking.

—

"So," said Annabeth, when they were settled at the dinner table with Helen. "Who wrote the Odyssey, and between what two years did they write it?"

"Homer, and between 750 and 650 BC." Frederick answered.

"You weren't supposed to answer!" Annabeth cried. "The question was for Helen!"

"I'm sorry Annabeth," her father replied. "But how would Helen know?"

Annabeth sighed. "Please pass the pasta." she said.

"So, Annabelle," said Helen. "How do you like school so far?"

"My name is not _Annabelle._ It's Annabeth. A- N- N- A- B- E- T- H." the said person replied, annunciating each syllable.

"I'm sorry." said Helen. "For mispronouncing your name."

Annabeth sighed dramatically. "It's okay, I _guess._ I like school, but they make us do _English_."

"Well, what's wrong with English?"

"Greek is better. When are you getting married?" Annabeth answered.

Helen choked on her water. Frederick turned red.

"Annabeth Cassiopeia Chase, that is enough!" he cried. "Go to your room!"

Annabeth looked perplexed. "I have a middle name?" she questioned.

"Yes! Now, your room!"

"Fine." she said, walking up the long path to her room.

Frederick sighed. "I'm sorry about that."

Helen raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think that's a little harsh?" she questioned. "Sending her to her room? She's five. That's normal five year old behavior."

"Believe me when I say that Annabeth is not a normal five year old."

"Oh? Why not?"

"Well, how many five year olds do you know who can speak and write in Ancient Greek?"

—-

Later that night, Frederick walked up to his daughter's room.

"Annabeth?" he called.

"I'm here." she answered.

"Why did you ask when we were getting married?"

"Because she's mean, and I didn't like her."

"So you asked when the _marriage_ was?"

Annabeth shrugged.

"Good-night, Annabeth." her father called, kissing his daughter, and closing the door.

"Good-night." she called.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again! I'm back after a while of not updating this story! Thanks guys for all the reviews and your awesome support! You are amazing!**

 _January 8, 1999_

"So," said Frederick Chase. "What do you think of making Helen part of our family?"

Annabeth wrinkled her nose, more interested in the T.V. show she was watching, something called Arthur.

"I think," she said pondering. "That it is a terrible idea."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because we already are a family!" Annabeth cried. "You're just going to marry her, and forget about me! Don't you like _our_ family?"

"Of course I do." her father said.

"Then you can't marry her because she will wreck it."

"I love her, Annabeth." he reminded his daughter.

"But what about _me_?" the little girl lamented. "What if I don't love her?"

Her father had no answer for that.

—

 _One week later, after Frederick proposed._

"The wedding will be on May thirty-first." Frederick told Annabeth.

"I can't go. I'll be at Maggie's* house." the girl said.

Frederick sighed. "Annabeth, you know how much she means to me. And Helen wants you to be the flower girl."

"Well, I won't. She's mean, and she hates me."

"She doesn't hate you, Annabeth."

"Oh yeah? Then why is she marrying you?" Annabeth asked, dissolving into tears, and running into her room.

Frederick sighed. It felt like treason, marrying Helen when Annabeth begged him not to. But the problem was, he was in love, and there was no cure for that.

—

"Annie?" he asked quietly, knocking on his daughter's door.

"Go away." she said. He opened Annabeth's door, finding her in bed, hiding under the covers, her face red and puffy from crying. He sat down next to her.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"If you were truly sorry, you wouldn't marry her. What about Mom?"

"Your mother is gone, Annabeth."

"I don't care." she said, starting to cry all over again. "I just want us to be a family."  
"We are a family, Annabeth. And I promise I won't ever let that end."

"Promise you won't ever be so horrible that I have to run away?"

"I promise, Annabeth."

Little did he know that promise would be broken someday. But for now, he would try to keep it as best as he could.

 **And thus ends this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, and please review! Any suggestions would be awesome! Next chapter is the wedding!**

 **Until next time,**

 **-lunarchroniclesandcockatiels**

 ***After the little girl in "Instructions Not Included," which is one of the best movies ever. It is truly amazing!Along with "Life is Beautiful," and "The Hunger Games."**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello, and thank you for all of the reviews. They are very much appreciated. I'm guessing this story will end up being about 20-30 chapters, judging by what I have so far.**

 _May 31st, 1999_

He walked down the aisle, the whole time looking at his soon- to- be wife, Helen. She looked so perfect in her white dress.

In her seat at the front row of the church, Annabeth, who was sitting next to her cousin Magnus, was glaring at him with her arms crossed. The almost first grader still wasn't exactly happy about what was going to happen today.

He finally reached the altar, where he would say his wedding vows, and leave married.

"Do you," said the priest. "Frederick Robert Chase, take you, Helen Marie Brown, to be your wife.

Do you promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. And love and honor her all the days of her life?"

"I do." he said, listening to the priest read the same vows for Helen.

"You may now kiss the bride."

And at that, Annabeth started to cry.

—

She didn't speak to him for two weeks after that. Not even when they boarded the plane for Frederick and Helen's honeymoon, which Annabeth was coming for. Now the normal Annabeth would have been stating random facts about whatever she saw. Not this Annabeth. She just sat and stared at him, with those haunting gray eyes. And when she finally talked, it was to correct her father on the plane ride home.

"No." she said. "The War of 1812 ended on December 24, 1814, not December 23."

Frederick sighed. "I'm sorry. I suppose I forgot about the one day difference."

"Well." said Annabeth, her gray eyes flashing dangerously. "If you have to talk, you better make sure your facts are right. Otherwise, there isn't a point, and it's just really stupid. As said by Gloria Naylor, life is too short to explain the obvious to an idiot."

And with that, she started to sob relentlessly. And all Frederick could do was stare.

"Oh Annabeth," he whispered. "What have we done?"

—-

Annabeth was barely six when the first monster showed up. Normal weapons did nothing to hurt it. The only thing that worked was a small, rusty looking, golden hammer that Frederick had found on a hike through the woods one day. To Helen, the monster looked like a wolf. But Frederick and Annabeth were able to see it as it really was: a fury.

After that, the tension between Helen and Annabeth grew even more.

—-

A month or so later, Helen began getting sick a lot, and had a few weird food cravings. Frederick only knew what was to come.

 **A/N: Please review! You can expect the next update by Saturday! (Probably)**

 **Also, please check the stories** _ **Beginning of Tratie**_ **and** _ **Easy As ABC**_ **that I'm writing with Booknerds22202. Thanks guys!**

 **-lunarchroniclesandcockatiels**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks, guys, for all your reviews and support!**

Annabeth Chase was not exactly excited at the idea of getting a sibling. Well, two siblings in this case. To say the most, she was okay with it. After all, you couldn't pick your family.

Frederick had tried to get her more excited about it by letting her pick out clothes for the babies. She had picked out a bunch of onesies that said things such as "My big sister is awesome," and "Daddy's Second Favorite (Next to his daughter)." Frederick had no idea where she had managed to find them, but at least it made her laugh and smile a bit more. She gradually grew more excited, and started talking about her new brothers.

Then, on May 12, 1999, Matthew and Robert "Bobby" Chase were born. Annabeth liked her new brothers, but as she put it "they were only babies," and architecture was more interesting.

As Annabeth grew older and became more aware of her heritage, the amount of monsters attacking grew. Helen got mad at Annabeth more frequently, blaming her for endangering their family. Frederick buried himself in work and the new babies, positive that Helen and Annabeth would work it out eventually.

Their relationship worsened even more over time. Annabeth grew more and more afraid of spiders, and Frederick didn't have the slightest idea why. She seemed to always be calling for him at night, but Helen never let him go, saying that she needed to learn to sleep by herself.

Annabeth's grades started dropping, and she didn't seem to have friends anymore at school. She was in a bad mood most of the time, her only comfort being her architecture. Frederick kept trying to talk to her, trying to ask what was wrong, but she only snapped at him and wouldn't answer any of his questions.

Then, a few months after the giant fight he had with his siblings at Thanksgiving, a monster somehow managed to break a window of the house and come dangerously close to the babies. Helen lost her temper and screamed at Annabeth, saying that she was only a danger to the family, that she didn't deserve to live with them, that she was only trouble. Annabeth answered, saying fine, that she didn't care.

After that, he went to check on Annabeth.

"Annie?" he questioned, sitting next to her on their couch.

"My name is Annabeth, Dad. I'm not a little kid anymore." she said, nearly breaking his heart.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine Dad." she answered, turning away so he couldn't see the tear running down her cheek.

 **A/N: The last few chapters have been really sad to write. Hopefully I can get to some more happy stuff soon.**

 **-lunarchroniclesandcockatiels**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews and support. Wow! Forty-one reviews! That's great! As a little bonus for your reviews, I have included a bit of Annabeth's POV. :D Thanks, guys.**

The next day, Frederick woke up at five forty-five, just as he always did. Something felt strangely off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. And food was missing from the fridge, along with a hammer (that wasn't in the fridge).

Then, at precisely six-thirty, he walked up to Annabeth's room, and stuck his head in.

"Annabeth!" he called. "Time to wake up."

But Annabeth didn't stir.

"Do you feel okay, sweetheart?" he asked cautiously. No reply. With growing suspicion, he walked over to the bed and pulled off the blankets. Annabeth was nowhere to be found.

Maybe she had already gotten up and went downstairs? Worried, he checked the whole house for signs of her. Finding none, he started checking the closets.

None of the closets held any sign of her. Just a few brooms and mops.

He was reminded of the time she was three and had hidden from a spider.

" _Annabeth?" he had called. "Where are you?"_

He repeated the same words, without an answer. His heart sank. Unlike when she was three, Annabeth wasn't hiding from a spider.

She had run away.

He was immediately reminded of the promise he had made such a long time ago. A promise that was only a joke at the time, but had become his life.

Frederick Chase sat down, and for one of the few times in his life, started to cry.

—

 _12:00, Midnight_

Annabeth Chase was on a mission. To escape from her own family. She had been rejected by her stepmother, who said she was a danger to the family. Annabeth had decided to leave, not wanting to hurt her brothers or anyone in her family. It wasn't as if anyone cared, anyway. No, they had stopped caring a long time ago. And probably in a galaxy far, far, away too. After all, Annabeth was about ten percent convinced that Helen was a sith lord.

Climbing out of her bed, Annabeth ran down the stairs, gathering the necessary things. At the last second, she grabbed a picture of her and her father and slipped it into an envelope.

She took one long, last look of the house, and Annabeth Chase was off.

 **A/N: I won't end it there. Don't worry. :D Although, that would make kind of a nice ending… just kidding!**

 **-lunarchroniclesandcockatiels**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: 48 REVIEWS! Yes! Thank y'all so much. (No, I'm not southern, but I just felt like saying that. :D**

Frederick was a wreck. He had called the police, child services, and everything else after his daughter had run away. He hadn't been able to sleep much, and he spent all of his free time waiting on the doorstep, in case his daughter came back. Even Helen, whom Annabeth had never liked much, had a nervous breakdown when she had heard about her young step- daughter.

Frederick had no way to contact his daughter. He didn't know if she was safe, or had been eaten by a monster, or kidnapped. He could only hope that someone would find his little girl and take her in.

Child of Athena though she was, Annabeth was only seven years old. A second- grader. And now she was all alone, in Athena- knows- where.

The thing was, the weather was growing colder every night. Frederick had noticed frost on the window only the day before. And that meant one thing: snow was coming. Annabeth could get frostbite, or die of hypothermia, or…..

 _Stop thinking about it,_ he told himself, rather harshly. But he couldn't. Annabeth was his little girl. His baby.

He blamed himself, mostly. He hadn't been there for her when she needed him. And he had married against her will. If he could go back in time, he would still marry Helen, but he couldn't help feeling guilty.

The day after Annabeth left, Helen had finally told him about Annabeth and the spiders that would come into her room every night. Frederick felt bad for yelling at her, as the look on her face had been one of guilt and sorrow.

He just wanted his little girl back.

And so, as he stood there, screaming at the sky for taking his daughter away, cursing Athena, he couldn't help but feel the tears trickle down his face. Never had he felt so alone.

A thick, gray mist appeared before him, swirling into the goddess he had known so long ago.

Athena.

Annabeth's mother.

Her eyes flashed dangerously in an irate manner. Never before had he seen her so angered.

"Frederick." she hissed, as if it hurt to say the word. "You dare to curse me when it's all your fault?"

"It's all my fault?" he jested. "What about the times you never visited, the birthdays you missed, the memories you were never there for? What about that?"

Her gray eyes grew colder. "There are rules, Frederick, even for us Olympians. Even we have to stand back sometimes."

"You could have been there, you know." Frederick cried. "You could have been there for her when she needed her mother!"

A small amount of warmth came back into the wisdom goddess's eyes. "No Frederick." she said placidly. "I couldn't. As much as I would like to, I couldn't."

"As she at least safe, Athena?" he asked, his voice beginning to crack. "Is my little girl safe?"

" _Our_ little girl." Athena corrected. "And you know I can not tell you that."

"Please," he begged, vaguely aware of falling to his knees. "Please tell me if I'll be able to talk to my baby again. Please, Lady Athena. Show me that I haven't completely failed as a father."

Something unknown passed through the goddess's eyes.

"She's safe." Athena whispered. "I'm not allowed to tell you this, but she's safe."

Frederick started to sob in relief. All the tears he had been holding back suddenly came flowing out.

"Oh, and one more thing." Athena said, before turning to leave. "I suppose you haven't completely failed as a father, Frederick Chase." She winked at him, then disappeared.

 **A/N:**

 **Calliope Penna: Thank you, and Star Wars is awesome!**

 **captain green flash: Your wish has been granted. :D**

 **theblue-hairbrush: Glad you like it! And I'll try to update ASAP. Nice username, btw.**

 **Marisabel12: I know….. :(**

 **CrazyBlueOwl: He could.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to anyone who took time to review this story. Thank you!**

Frederick went out to get the mail one day, when he noticed a small, pale letter sticking out of the mailbox. It was from Annabeth.

He had received the first letter ten months after she left. Ten months, with no word of his daughter. Frederick knew Athena had said she was safe, but even the goddess of wisdom could be wrong sometimes. And even though Frederick had ever known Athena to be wrong before, there was a first time for everything, right?

Setting the rest of the mail down on the kitchen counter, he tore open the letter and started to read.

 _Dear Father,_

Father. The words sounded unusual, even coming from Annabeth who used big words such as "abrogate" and "nefarious." She had never once called him "father." Always Dad or Daddy. Or when she was much younger, Dada.

 _I am alive, obviously, since I wrote this letter._

Frederick chuckled at this statement. Annabeth had an interesting sense of humor. A sharp pain went through him. He missed her so much. Missed her laughter, her smiles, even missed the tears.

 _I'm at a camp, a safe place for demigods, called Camp Half-Blood. It's awesome! I have a bunch of brothers and sisters who live in my cabin. There's even a climbing wall with real lava! I had a friend named Thalia but she got turned into a tree. Luke is nice, though. And Chiron is cool! He's a centaur._

 _From,_

 _Annabeth_

His heart sank. Annabeth sounded as if she didn't even miss him. And to make matters worse, she ended her letter with "from." Not love, or best wishes, or sincerely. From. Just a simple word, really. It was odd how something so simple could tear you apart.

 _P.S. My brother Malcolm helped me write this. That's why nothing is spelled wrong. Also, Mom visited. She is awesome!_

Athena. Now that was a person he had hardened his heart to a long time ago. She had never been more than his friend, really. In all honesty, it was scary to think of her a mother. Annabeth's mother, too.

Of course Frederick had known that, after all, Annabeth was his daughter, but he couldn't picture Athena changing a diaper. Or doing anything motherly for that matter.

Athena was a chapter in his life that was dear to him, but one he didn't like to think about. After all there had been a time, before Annabeth was born, before he had known Athena's true nature, when it was just the two of them. Nothing more than friends.

Frederick sighed, carefully placing the letter back in the envelope. Matthew and Bobby were crying, and he had to go check on them.

Why did things have to be so complicated?


	12. Important Please Read!

**A/N: So, I have sadly decided to delete this story, and not continue it, because my life has gotten really busy, and I feel bad knowing that I'll never update.**

 **I also have decided to leave fanfiction, because school is extremely busy, and time consuming.**

 **I'll probably eventually return to fanfiction, but no guarantees. I would like to thank:**

Guest

mysteries of the future

Calliope Penna

LibbySlaysTheUniverse

captain green flash

Jedi1

CrazyBlueOwl

Booknerd22202

0fictionluver0

PJO HOO KPOP

DarkPaladin000

KoalaLover-ABC-123

Bobnumber2

Mia

Marisabel12

theblue-hairbrush

marisabel1218

Lord Nitro

Bookworm12321

Casi

.3386

Piper McLean 13

percabethbooklion

thewanderlustmarauder

Percabeth102460003

Guest

The 6th Spectral King

 **for reviewing. Each and every one of you guys is amazing. :D**

 **BYE!**

 **-lunarchroniclesandcockatiels**

 **P.S. Yes, and if** **you haven't figured it out already, Happy April Fools Day!**

 **MUAH HA HA**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hello! Sorry I haven't actually updated in such a long time. I promise the next chapter will come sooner.**

 _Dear Annabeth,_

 _I am so, so, so, so sorry for what happened. For what I did. Please come home._

 _Love,_

 _Daddy_

Frederick carefully folded up the letter, and placed it in a small white envelope. He then stuck it in the mailbox, hope filling up his body. There was a chance, no matter fleeting, that his Annie would listen, and _come home._

A week later, a letter from Annabeth came in the mail. Frederick made himself wait until after he had graded term papers to open it.

Finally, at about seven o'clock that night, while holding an a one-and-a-half year old Bobby in his lap, Frederick opened the letter.

He was met with a small, handwritten note on the back of a napkin. Frederick closed his eyes, not wanting to see if Annabeth refused to come home, but at the same time, he couldn't wait any longer.

He pulled out the letter, and started to read.

 _Dear Dad,_

 _You had your chance to say sorry. You didn't._

 _I'm sorry, but I can't come home._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Annabeth_

 _P.S. I love you, Dad, even with everything that's happened._

"Why crying, Daddy?" Bobby asked.

Frederick shook his head, and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "Crying? I'm not crying. Why would I be crying?" But his voice was hoarse, and he knew that Bobby would know he was lying.

"I wan Sissy." Bobby said, placing his thumb in his mouth.

"I don't know how to get her to come home, Bobby." Frederick sighed. "I honestly don't know."

 _Dear Annabeth,_

 _Bobby has been asking for you. He misses you. It's no wonder; you've been gone an entire six months._

 _Six months? How could it have been so long since I last saw you? I know you said you can't come home, but please reconsider. Annabeth, you are, and always will be, my little baby._

 _Love,_

 _Daddy_

Frederick stuck the letter in the mailbox, knowing full well what the answer would be. Another no. Another refusal. Another time when he'd failed as a father. But he had to _try_.

And this time, when he closed the mailbox, he felt only a small twinge of hope.

—-

The letter came in the mail exactly a month later. Frederick opened it the minute he received it. He'd prepared himself this time, so he wouldn't be disappointed.

He took a deep breath.

 _Dear Dad,_

 _I'm sorry that you miss me. I miss you too. Tell Bobby (and Matthew) that I said hello. I'm sorry once again, but I'm staying here, where I'm not a disgrace to the family, and so that no one gets hurt because of me._

 _Love,_

 _Annabeth_

Didn't she know how much it hurt every time she refused to come home?

Didn't Annabeth know that he would never be able to forgive himself unless his baby came home to him, safe and sound?

Didn't she understand that every day, _every second_ his little girl was gone because of him, his heart was breaking a little bit more?

And if Annabeth didn't come home soon, his heart was going to become a pile of glass: broken dreams and shattered memories.

Because his Annie was gone.

 **A/N: Oh Frederick….**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Enjoy, and please review!**

Annabeth Chase was finally coming home.

Frederick had sent her his Harvard ring, as a desperate plea to convince Annabeth that he missed her.

Just for a visit, though. Just for a week.

But when he hadn't seen his daughter for three years, an hour was worth a thousand dollars.

And a week?

Priceless.

So much had happened in the three years that Annabeth had been gone.

Bobby and Matthew going to daycare (which was practically preschool), a flurry of letters from Randolph, a myriad emails from Natalie, both of which he had never bothered to return.

There had even been a new Star Wars movie that had come out, but Frederick didn't want to have to see it without Annabeth.

He had bought tickets though, just in case Annabeth came home.

The tickets were now on top of the refrigerator, collecting dust.

But now Annabeth actually was coming home.

Not just a maybe, like last time. Not like the time she said she would come to town- just to meet him for lunch, mind you- and never showed up.

No, this time Annabeth was actually coming.

Now if only the visit could go well…..

—-

"Are you absolutely positive that she's coming this time?" Helen asked, glancing at her watch. "Because it's almost one o'clock, and Annabeth said she would come at twelve."

"Yes," Frederick replied. "I'm positive."

"Okay," said Helen, taking a deep breath. She started to smile a little. "You know, it'll be good to have her home again,"

"It will," Frederick replied, focusing on listening for the sound of the doorbell. Now where was Annabeth?

"I wanna cookie," Matthew cried, clutching Helen's arm. "Mommy!"

"Not right now, Matthew," Frederick said. "it's almost lunch."

"I'm hungry!" Bobby complained.

"Me too!"

Helen glanced at Frederick. "Where-" Helen started to say, but the doorbell rang.

Annabeth had arrived.

 **A/N: I'm never going to take a hiatus again. I didn't really get anything done, except for finishing The Clone Wars TV show (but that doesn't count.)**

 **But anyway, the end of the school year is coming up, and after that, I'll be able to update a lot more. :)**

 **-lunarchroniclesandcockatiels**


	15. Chapter 15

"Dad!" Annabeth cried, upon seeing Frederick in the doorway. She hugged him. "I missed you!"

"I missed you, too, Annie," he started to say, but stopped himself. "I mean, Annabeth."

Annabeth shrugged, setting her suitcase on the floor. "Oh," she said coldly _,_ as if noticing Helen next to Frederick for the first time. "Hello, _Hel_ _en,_ "

Helen smiled at Annabeth. A genuine smile, unlike the one Annabeth was giving her. "It's good to see you again, Annabeth."

* * *

They went an entire twenty four hours (he timed it) without a monster attack.

Dr. Chase knew that Helen was pleased, and it helped to resolve a bit of tension between her and Annabeth.

Just a little bit. A miniscule amount, really.

Because, well, there seemed to be something going on between the two. More than just Annabeth's normal attitude of I-hate-Helen-and-why-did-you-have-to-marry-her.

Annabeth seemed to tense up whenever Helen ambled into the room, and Helen looked guilty whenever she was around Annabeth.

He knew there was something he hadn't been told. Annabeth had to have had at least one other reason for why she left.

"You remember when Annabeth ran away?" Helen asked after Annabeth and the twins had gone to bed and were presumably not listening.

"Of course," Frederick replied. How could he ever forget that day? It was practically engraved in his mind, the scenes continually playing over and over in his head.

Helen twisted her hands together, something she always did when she was nervous. "It was my fault. She kept complaining that spiders were attacking her, but I didn't believe her. Her only proof was cobwebs, and well, now that I think about it, she wouldn't lie about something like that to get your attention,"

"No," Frederick agreed. "She wouldn't,"

"That was why she left, Frederick. You see? It was all my fault! And now she thinks I hate her," Helen buried her face in her hands. "I would too, if I were her,"

 _Oh_ , mouthed Frederick. He honestly didn't know what to say. Frederick vaguely recalled Annabeth calling for him and Helen telling him not too go to her. But Helen...

"I forgive you," he finally replied. Helen cried even more.

* * *

When the monster did attack, it chose the worst possible place: Bobby and Matthew's room.

Although Annabeth killed it as quickly as she could, Bobby got a cut on his arm from it.

Helen fretted over him, glaring at Annabeth the whole time, though she knew it wasn't really Annabeth's fault. "Why is it that the monsters only come when you're around, Annabeth?" she questioned

"Because I'm a demigod," Annabeth replied. "Which definitely was not my choice." She glanced at Frederick.

"So, technically, you being around endangers us all?" Helen asked. "So it is sort of your fault."

That was like a slap in the face. Annabeth ran up to her room, and Frederick just stared.

Helen cried once she realized what she had done. She even tried to apologize to Annabeth.

But Annabeth wouldn't take it. She even refused to talk to Frederick.

* * *

Annabeth was gone the next morning.

Frederick just stood over her bed for the longest time, shaking his head and knowing he had messed up again. After all, Annabeth had left him a note, saying that nothing had changed.

Three years of convincing. That was what had taken to get Annabeth to visit.

How long would it be until he saw his daughter again?

 **A/N: Please, please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Wow! Thirteen reviews! Thank you guys so much! By the way, I was listening to 'Let Her Go' by Passenger while writing this.**

No letter came. No postcard. Nothing. Not even after Frederick sent twelve letters, which were all returned, although he could tell they had been opened.

Seasons changed. Soon it was Spring, with colorful flowers, birds chirping, and the constant pattering of rain against the window.

Then it was summer. Frederick wouldn't have even noticed the passing of days, if it weren't for the seasons changing. He delved deeper into his work, trying to forget about Annabeth.

That never worked.

Every night, when he went to bed, Annabeth was in his dreams. And sometimes she infiltrated his nightmares.

How could he have been so stupid when she was born, refusing to take her? And now... Now he couldn't imagine life without her.

He supposed that he was going to have to start learning to live without his daughter. His mind drifted over the possibility that he would never see her again. How long could Annabeth possibly stay mad for?

A very long time, he supposed, if she was anything like him. Come to think of it, when was the last time he had spoken to his siblings?

Not since the fight they had, which was over three years ago.

He would have to remember to call them sometime.

* * *

He wouldn't have even realized it was winter if he hadn't opened the door to find a blanket of white covering the world.

Winter. Was it really a year since he had seen Annabeth? Four years since she had lived with him?

She would have been eleven by now. Or was it twelve? He couldn't really remember.

Maybe Annabeth had a good point when she ran away and didn't answer his letters.

Maybe he needed to learn to be a better father.

 **A/N: Please review. :)**


	17. Chapter 17

_"Dad!" Annabeth cried, hanging upside down on the monkey bars. "Look at me!" Frederick smiled, waving at his daughter from where he sat, clutching a copy of War of Peace. To commemorate the last day of kindergarten, he had taken his daughter to the playground. As promised. And without Helen._

 _There were few occasions when he ever took Annabeth to the playground. For starters, Annabeth only really liked the monkey bars, and it was hard for Frederick to get work done when he was in a place with screaming children. He took Annabeth to the library more often._

 _Suddenly, Frederick heard Annabeth screaming. He looked up, just in time for Annabeth to fall off of the monkey bars onto her head._

 _"Annabeth?" he asked, standing up, and running over to his daughter. "Are you all right?"_

 _Annabeth lay on the ground, a steady trickle of blood coming from her head. "My head hurts and I feel all funny," she muttered, struggling to keep her eyes open._

 _He held her hand, feeling Annabeth's every breath._

 _"It's all your fault," she muttered._

 _"What?" Frederick questioned. "What did you say, Annabeth?"_

 _"You're a terrible father," she continued. "I hate you, Dad!"_

 _Frederick felt something wet on his cheek. Wiping at it with his hand, he realized he was crying._

 _Suddenly, a shudder went through Annabeth's body, and she closed her eyes for the last time._

 _"Annie, Annie, no! Please wake up! I'm sorry! I'll do anything!"_

 _Eventually, someone at the playground called 911, and ambulances came so they could take away her body and cover it with a white sheet._

* * *

Frederick woke up, sweat running down his back. He could feel his heart pounding.

It was just a dream, he reminded himself, taking deep breaths. Just a dream.

Annabeth was still alive, perfectly safe away at Camp.

And she didn't hate him.

Right?

* * *

He was beginning to dread the future.

It all started when he went to the store, and saw a girl with curly blonde hair, who looked about the same age as Annabeth.

He thought it was her, but when he walked over, she didn't seem to recognize him.

He realized that he barely remembered what his own daughter looked like.

* * *

 _Annabeth sat in her room, curled up in bed while reading a book. She looked, if anything, bored._

 _"Why don't you go play with your brothers?" Frederick asked, sitting down on the bed, next to his daughter. Annabeth shook her head, forcing a smile._

 _"I'm not allowed to. Besides," she added hastily, "They're just screaming babies. They're probably really boring anyways." But she bit her lip as she spoke, sounding sad._

 _Frederick frowned._

 _"Why aren't you allowed to play with them?" he asked._

 _Annabeth glared. "You know why, Dad. Ask Helen. Ask yourself. Because I'm a danger to the family, aren't I?" And she walked out, slamming the door closed._

 _What exactly had he done?_

* * *

Why couldn't he have just been a good father, who paid enough attention to his daughter, who made her feel safe in her own home, and not neglected?

Why? Where exactly had things gone wrong?

* * *

 _Annabeth stood up, holding onto the side of her crib, a big smile on her 1 1/2-year old face. She toddled over to Frederick, reaching for the book he held in his hands._

 _"Book," she said. "Book!"_

 _Frederick placed the book on the table behind him. Annabeth, in an attempt to reach it, tripped over Frederick's feet, falling flat on her face. She began to sob._

 _"No," he muttered. "Not again!" Learning to walk had meant falling, which meant crying, which meant trying to walk again, which meant more crying. And so on._

 _Annabeth struggled to push herself into a seating position, still crying._ _Frederick sighed again, and picked her up._

 _"I love you, Annabeth," he said. And she immediately ceased sobbing._

 _Or maybe it was because he relented and handed his daughter the book._

* * *

What saved him was the small letter that arrived in his mailbox in the end of July, right before school started.

It was small, and it only contained a few words, but that didn't matter because-

The letter was from Annabeth Chase.

And she was coming home.

* * *

 _Dear Dad,_

 _I'm sorry I didn't reply to any of your letters. I shouldn't have left like that. Both times, I mean. I'm sorry. If you still want me, I'd like to come home for the school year. If you don't, it's okay, I understand._

 _Love,_

 _Annabeth Chase_

* * *

 _Dear Annie,_

 _I'm sorry about what happened to make you run away the second time. That apology should have come much sooner. It's alright about the letters and your leaving. Please don't worry about it. We would love for you to come home for the school year, Annabeth. You are always welcome in our house._

 _I love you, Annie!_

 _Love,_

 _Dad._

 **A/N: And Annabeth is coming home again, this time for good. Sort of.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Sorry I haven't written in so long. I know it's a short update.**

Frederick hated that look.

That look, the one Annabeth gave him every time he was busy. Too busy.

The one that said to him, I ran away for five years because of you. I could do it again.

The one that made him sigh and do what Annabeth wanted to do, no matter how high the stack of papers on his desk was growing.

He hated how he was always careful around her, too careful, as if she was a china doll that could break in the drop of a hat.

He hated how nervous she made him. Sometimes he felt that if he closed his eyes, even blinked, Annabeth would be gone when he opened them again.

Because that was what had happened last time, wasn't it? He blinked, and his whole word turned upside down.

Helen thought he was being overprotective, especially when he refused to let Annabeth out of his sight, as if she was three years old again.

But Helen didn't have to worry that her children were going to be gone in the morning, did she?

It was true, the old saying Frederick found, "You don't know what you have until it's gone." Annabeth running away had made him cherish every day he spent with her.

But Helen was probably right.

He was being much too overprotective.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Wow. Has it really been that long since I updated? I'm so sorry! I guess I was just kind of busy, with NaNoWriMo and everything... Anyways, enjoy!**

Dr. Chase rolled over in his bed, listening to the sound of the wind outside his window. He still couldn't sleep, and it was three o'clock in the morning.

Next to him, Helen was snoring. Lucky.

Frederick sighed, quietly climbed out of bed, and crept out of the room. He would go downstairs, he decided, and catch up on work. Maybe make himself a cup of tea.

He was about to do just that when he heard soft crying coming from the end of the hallway. Annabeth's room.

Frederick walked down there, the crying growing louder with every step. "Annie?" he whispered, opening the door to his twelve-year old's room.

Annabeth screamed, pulling the covers up to her chin, like she was a little girl again. He flicked on the light.

"Annie?" he asked again. She looked at him wide-eyed, her heart pounding.

"Daddy?" she breathed, looking like a frightened little mouse. He sat down on the bed, next to her.

"You okay?" he questioned, trying not to push her to tell him what was going on. A few more tears ran down her cheek. "Were those girls at school giving you a hard time again?"

"No," Annabeth said, looking down. "I- I had a nightmare,"

"You did?" he asked. Annabeth nodded.

"Yeah," she muttered, fingering the blanket.

"You want to talk about it?" Frederick asked, as if he was was talking to Bobby or Matthew. Annabeth bit her lip. "I had a dream that I died," she murmured, the words all jumbled together, in an effort to make them come out quickly. "I fell down this- this- this hole, I think. And it hurt. It hurt so badly. It was like every muscle in my body was screaming. And everything turned black," she paused, waiting for her father to respond. He didn't, so she continued. "And then- and then there was fire, and smoke, and monsters everywhere. So many monsters..." she trailed off, a few more tears dripping down her face.

Frederick wrapped an arm around her. "Hush," he told her, perhaps a bit too loudly. "It was only a bad dream,"

"But what if it wasn't?" she cried, frantic. He stared into her clear, gray eyes. She was completely awake. Completely there. "What if I die? And go to Tartarus?" she started sobbing. He hugged her.. "We demigods- we don't have bad dreams. We have visions of the future, or our dreams usually mean something! I don't want to die, Dad! I don't want to go to Tartarus!"

"We're all going to die someday, Annabeth," he reminded her, feeling her forehead. It was warm. Much too warm.

"But I don't want to die now!" she muttered, rocking back and forth. "I don't want to go to Tartarus!"

"Listen to me," he told her. "Annabeth."

"I don't want to die!" she blubbered, sobbing. "I don't want to go to Tartarus!"

"Annabeth," he said again. "You will not go to Tartarus. What could you possibly have done? You're twelve years old, for goodness sake!"

"Annabeth," he said sternly. "Look at me."

She did.

Her grey eyes stared up at him, but he had to wonder how she could see, because they were filled with tears. His daughter's long blonde curls were wet with sweat, and there were bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. She was shaking, and her every movement was tense, like a rabbit in front of the headlights.

It was only a month since Annabeth had gotten home from Camp, had came back to him after being gone for five years, with the exception of those two days.

He had to wonder what had been done to steal his daughter's childhood away from her.

After all, this was not her first nightmare.

Nor would it be the last.

 **A/N: Please review! Also, I have the next chapter written already (I actually wrote it before this one, but I'm posting it in chronological order), and I will post it later tonight or tomorrow.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thank you so much Guest,** **KoalaLover-ABC-123, and** **PicturePerfectMe for your awesome reviews!**

"Do you _have_ to go to camp, Annie?" Bobby questioned one night at the dinner table. Thirteen-year old Annie refused to let anyone call her "Annie" anymore. It annoyed her, she said, or something like that. Which was precisely why Bobby did it.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Matthew. "You should stay here! It'll be fun!"

Frederick wondered if Helen thought it would be fun, too. He decided she might have a different opinion, if she were there, instead of at whatever school meeting she was at. Helen might say it would be "interesting." Although Annabeth didn't hate Helen quite so much anymore, the two still weren't on good terms. And Annabeth still held more than a few grudges against her stepmother.

Annabeth shook her head, looking indifferent. "I have to go to Camp," she repeated, not looking them in the eyes.

"Can you come visit us, at least?" Bobby persisted.

"Please?" said Matthew.

"Not really," Annabeth muttered, taking a long drink of water.

"Why not?" Matthew asked.

"Because it's not safe," Annabeth told the twins. She frowned."Okay?"

"Why?" Bobby asked.

"Because of monsters," Annabeth said. Matthew fidgeted in his seat. "They want to kill me,"

"Annabeth," Frederick said quietly. Matthew and Bobby turned away from their food and looked up at him innocently. _Please Annie, they're so young. Give them a few more years without knowing._

"Well, it's true!" Annabeth exclaimed. "I mean, they've been here before when the monsters came!"

"My teacher said monsters aren't real," Matthew interrupted. Annabeth looked at Frederick and crossed her arms.

 _Make them stop_ , she mouthed. He looked down and continued eating his crunchy pasta. Not that crunchy was part of the recipe, but Dr. Chase wasn't exactly an expert chef. Most of the time he forgot to eat, unless Helen or Annabeth reminded him.

"Well, your teacher is wrong," Annabeth said to Matthew. She crossed her arms. Her brothers' eyes widened.

"I can protect you," Bobby promised.

But wasn't that what Frederick had said? When he had this same conversation with Annabeth, only a few days ago?

"Me too," said Matthew. "I'm going to take karate!" he cried. "Well, if Mommy lets me," he added.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Annabeth said, standing up and pushing in her chair. She placed her untouched plate of pasta in the sink. "You know what? I just remembered I have a test I need to study for."

"A test?" Bobby cried, grabbing Annabeth's hand. "But it's Friday? Can't you study tomorrow?"

"Nope," Annabeth said, prying the six-year old's small fingers from her arm. "I have to keep my grades up,"

"But you already know everything!" Bobby protested.

"Yeah," said Matthew.

Annabeth couldn't resist. "Well, true," she said. "But I should probably still study, right? The other kids might feel bad if they all fail and I get a hundred without studying,"  
"Yeah, I guess," Bobby sighed. He went and sat back down in his seat, looking melancholy. Annabeth walked upstairs, to her room.

"How come Annabeth never plays with us?" Bobby sighed, picking at his food. "It's like she doesn't care about us,"

"It's because she thinks she's cool," Matthew announced, sitting down. "Annabeth thinks she's _so awesome_ because she reads magazines on how to be cool,"

"She does?" Frederick questioned. The twins nodded eagerly. This was news to him. The only magazines he had ever seen Annabeth read were _Architectural Digest_ and the ones Johns Hopkins sent.

"But we're cooler," Matthew said.

"Yeah," Bobby agreed. "'Cause we're friends with Jake D,"

"And his Mom's cousin is famous!" Matthew cried.

He was leaning in his chair in a way so that his feet weren't touching the ground, along with the the front two legs of the chair. Frederick was about to tell him to sit the right way.

 _Crash_.

Too late.

"Annabeth," Frederick knocked on the door of his daughter's room.

"I'm studying," came the reply.

"Well, can I come in?" he asked quietly, albeit a little impatiently.

"Sure," Annabeth said.

He opened the door.

Annabeth sat on her bed, propped up by a few pillows. She held a book in her arms, presumably whatever she was studying. "Yes, Dad?" she asked.

"Well," Frederick said, knotting his hands together. The conversation at dinner had got him thinking. "I was thinking about… things, and well," he sighed. "The twins are right. You should stay with us for the summer,"  
"Dad," Annabeth sighed, glancing up. She swung her feet around to the other side of the bed. "We just had this conversation a few days ago. Besides, this was the deal: I go to Camp for two and a half months in the summer, and I stay with you the rest of the year. That's more than fair! Also," she added. "I need to keep up with my training. And I like being able to feel safe for some of my life. You of all people should know that!"

How he did.

"I can protect you!" He blurted out, like a small child, making a promise he knew he couldn't keep.

"Dad," Annabeth said. "You've already told me that," She stood up next to him- she was getting so tall, almost taller than he was- and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know you can protect me, okay?" She looked directly into his eyes. He was losing the argument. Again. "Come on, Dad. It's only for two months, okay? Besides, you went to that conference thing in Maryland for, like, a week,"

"That was only a week," he protested, but he knew Annabeth had already won.

"Come on, Dad," she said, her focus entirely on him. "What are you so afraid of? Camp is perfectly safe, I promise. _Nothing_ is going to hurt me,"

"That you won't come back," he said, his voice cracking on the last word. "That you'll decide it's better there, because it's so much _safer_ , and you don't have to worry for your life every second. Because the people there didn't fail you, like I did," He was full-out crying now, in front of his thirteen year-old daughter. She shouldn't have to see him like that. Like this. "I failed you. I failed my little girl,"

"Dad," Annabeth pleaded. "Don't do this to yourself. I'm going to come back, okay? I promise,"

But promises were hollow and didn't last. He knew that all too well.

 **A/N: So how did I do? Please tell me in your review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! Also, special thanks to PicturePerfectMe, Guest, Flight, odee, Cinder Luna, and KoalaLover-ABC-123 for your great reviews!**

Matthew and Bobby walked into Frederick's study. Dr. Chase normally wouldn't have noticed since the bookshelves towered above the six year olds, but the twins had accidentally knocked a few books over, which made a loud noise.

Drat.

"Daddy," Matthew complained, pointing. "Bobby hid the TV remote, and now he won't give it back!"

"I did not!" the accused cried, pouting. Frederick glanced up from his papers.

"I have to work," he reminded them. "Okay? Why don't you go ask your mother, all right?"

They looked at each other.

"I can't," Matthew crossed his arms.

"Yeah," Bobby said.

"Well, why not?" Frederick questioned. Now, where were his glasses? He tried feeling around the table for them, but to no avail. "And by the way, have either of you seen my glasses?"

"They're on your head," Matthew muttered. "Also, Mommy went to the store because we're all out of milk and eggs, and she won't bring us because we like putting things in the cart that we're not supposed to," he announced. "Like chocolate covered oreos dipped in peanut butter, and plain cheerios because we never actually eat them,"

"Yeah," Bobby agreed.

 _Oh_. "Well, who's watching you, then?" Frederick asked.

"Well, Annabeth was _supposed_ to," Matthew shrugged.

"But she's not," Bobby finished.

"What's she doing instead?" Frederick wanted to know.

"She locked herself in her room, and now she's emailing her boyfriend!" Matthew cried. Bobby nodded.

This was news. "Annabeth has a boyfriend?" Frederick questioned.

Matthew nodded. "Yeah. She met him at summer camp!"

Frederick studied his son very carefully. "Are you sure?" He felt like Annabeth would have mentioned something about that.

"Yeah," Bobby nodded.

* * *

" _What_?" Annabeth yelled when she found out what her brother had said. "I don't have a boyfriend!"

Matthew nodded, grinning. "Yes, you do!" He walked over to her bed and started jumping on it, much to his sister's annoyance.

"No, I don't!" Annabeth said.

"Then who were you emailing?" Bobby questioned.

Annabeth gave her brother a look. "My friend. From Camp. Who happens to be a boy,"

"So, your boyfriend," Matthew smiled. "What's his name?"

"Matthew, he's not my-"

"He's your friend who's a boy. So he's your boyfriend!" Bobby grinned.

" _Dad_ ," Annabeth sighed, looking up at Frederick. "Make them stop!"

"Okay, boys," Frederick said. "That's enough. Leave your sister alone,"

"Thank you," Annabeth sighed.

"But just one question," Dr. Chase asked. "What's your boyfriend's name?"

"Dad!"

 **A/N: Also, Happy Birthday to this fic, which is a year old, as of today!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: This story finally has over 150 reviews! Special thanks to Finwithch1, Guest, Thebookworm04, and insanepersonhere for reviewing the last chapter. Your reviews really mean a lot, guys! :D**

 **Enjoy!**

Frederick got the phone call at eleven o'clock A.M, Eastern Standard Time. The middle of one of his classes, which meant that he had to to excuse himself from the room to take the call. Then, after finding out what had happened, he had to leave class, and drive over to Annabeth's school.

She was sitting on the bench in the principal's office, looking genuinely bored.

"Hey, Dad," she said calmly, as if it was just a normal day. He was about to open his mouth, to say something, when the principal, whose nametag read Mr. Johnson, pulled Frederick into his office to discuss Annabeth.

"No, she's never gotten in trouble at school before," Dr. Chase found himself saying. "She's made Honor Roll for as long as I remember,"

The principal sighed, and flipped through some more papers. "You said she had ADHD and dyslexia?"

"Uh, yes," Frederick replied.

"She's a model student, in gifted classes. Any idea why she would have done this?"

"Uh, no," Frederick stated. He really didn't know why, and it bothered him. It felt like Annabeth had been distancing herself from him lately. He wasn't losing her again, was he?

The principal ran a hand through his hair. "I hate to do this, but I'm going to have to give her a three day suspension."

"Oh. Okay," Frederick said. He stood up, and walked out of the room, shoulders hunched.

"All right," Frederick said when they had gotten into the car, and he had started the engine. "Explain. Now,"

Annabeth blurted the whole thing out. "Joe told me my spelling looked like a first grader's, and that I was stupid, and had no business being in the gifted classes. He said no wonder my mother left us," Her lip quivered. "So I punched him. In the nose. And then it started bleeding. And Joe started crying." A slight smile appeared on her lips.

"Because you _broke his nose_ ,," Frederick said sternly. "Listen to me, Annabeth"

"I am," she muttered, staring out the window.

"Haven't I told you not to punch people?" he sighed. "Why, Annabeth? _Why?_ You've never even gotten detention, and the next thing I know, you're suspended, and I have to leave work to pick you up? You know what? You're grounded for the rest of the time that you're suspended,"

"But Dad, he insulted me!" she protested, crossing her arms.

He exhaled. "Annabeth, isn't this is the same boy who lives at the end of the street? The one whose father just died?"

Annabeth shrugged, flicking a piece of fuzz off of her jeans. "I don't know," she said softly. "Maybe,"

"Is his name Joe Smith?" Frederick questioned, trying to keep an eye on the road.

"Yeah, that's the one," Annabeth muttered.

"Helen knows his mother, and she went to the funeral," Frederick informed his daughter. "Annabeth, the boy just lost his father, and all you could think to do was to break his nose?"

Annabeth looked deflated. "I didn't know that! And he insulted me! Dad, he insulted us! You don't even care!" Her voice turned to a whisper. "I thought you would understand,"

"Well, you didn't have to punch him,"

"He was mean! He _deserved_ it!" Her hands shook. Frederick wasn't sure he had ever seen her so angry.

"Think about it this way," Frederick said, trying to stay calm. "What if your mother died? How would you feel? And then to have someone break your nose?"

"Athena's a goddess," Annabeth muttered. "She _can't_ die,"

"Well then, how would you feel if I died?" Frederick sighed.

There was a pause. "I guess I wouldn't care," Annabeth said flatly. She crossed her arms, looked out the window, and didn't move until they were home.

"Are you mad at me?" Annabeth questioned as she climbed out of the car. "For hitting Joe, I mean," she added quickly.

"No," Frederick said. "I'm not mad. I'm disappointed," He walked into the house.

Annabeth scrambled after him. "I didn't mean what I said about you!" she called. "Dad?"

He didn't look back.

The fact that Frederick didn't have class the next day meant that he was alone with Annabeth for six hours.

It was different when Helen and the twins were home, because he could just pretend to be interested in their conversations, and avoid Annabeth, but not when they were gone.

He bumped into her in the kitchen. Literally.

"Ahh!" Annabeth dropped her bowl of chips on the floor.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Look, I didn't mean-" she said, as he tried to help her pick up the snacks.

"I didn't really think-" Dr. Chase started to say, a bit flustered. Their eyes met. "You know what? You go first," he told her.

"Okay," Annabeth took a deep breath. "I really didn't mean it when I said that I wouldn't care if you died. I would care. A lot. I mean, you're my _father_ ," She exhaled. "Okay. You go,"

"I-I guess I should have listened to you more," Frederick said. "It wasn't right of him to say those things to you," he continued. "But that being said," Dr. Chase added. "It wasn't right of you to punch him,"

Annabeth grinned. "Does this mean I'm still grounded?" she asked.

"Yes." her father replied.

"Dang it!"

 **A/N: Happy New Year, everyone! So, for my New Year's Resolution, I'm going to be trying to update this thing a bit more, considering I've already been working on it for a year. This has been really fun to write so far, and I love reading all of the reviews! Suggestions are very welcome! :)**

 **Thank you so much for reading this. All of you. You make my day.**

 **-lunarchroniclesandcockatiels**

 **P.S. This story has 99 followers! It would be really awesome if we could get 100...Just saying. :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: We reached 100 followers! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Also, thanks to Willow Lark, mazerunner26, chica-flick, and KoalaLover-ABC-123 for reviewing! Also, thanks to Booknerd22202 for reading this for me beforehand. By the way, if you would like to check them out, I also have two oneshots up about Annabeth and her father called _Maybe_ , and _Annabeth Chase vs. Green Beans_ (the latter is a bit more on the humurous side, and the first one is more serious and melancholy.).**

 _It was six months before he married Helen. Annabeth was four, almost five years old._

 _"Dad?" Annabeth questioned, sitting down next to him on the porch steps. She put her head in her hands and watched the rain with him. "Why did you leave Mom?" The question was out of her mouth before she could contemplate what she was saying, and Annabeth looked as if she immediately regretted the question._

 _"I didn't leave her," Frederick responded, trying to sound passive, but the wistfulness still crept into his voice. "She left me,"_

 _"Oh," Annabeth muttered. She looked down. "Why?"_

 _"Why?" he repeated dryly. Frederick looked at the trees. Even if the truth never changed, the trees would. "You want to know why, Annabeth?"_

 _"Yes," Annabeth said. Gray eyes met brown. "Why? You don't have to answer if you don't want to," she added quickly. Frederick ignored the last part._

 _"Because she is a goddess," he told her. "And me? I am a mere mortal. I'm going to die some day, while she will live forever. We were never meant to be together,"_

 _"I'm sorry," Annabeth whispered, reaching out her hand to catch a raindrop._

 _"It's okay," he assured her. "I have Helen now. And you,"_

 _"You still love her though, don't you?" Annabeth questioned, leaning against him._

 _"Yes," he admitted, looking up at the gray clouds which covered the sun. "I still love Athena,"_

 _Helen was the stitches that put his heart back together, but even stitches left scars._

* * *

Suddenly, before Frederick even realized the time was gone, the school year had ended.

And with the end of the school year came the end of living with Annabeth, well, at least for the summer.

But at least this time he got to say goodbye to her.

Annabeth left in the middle of the night _-just like she always did._ Why was it always night? So the darkness would cover her trail? So no one would know that something was wrong, that his daughter was gone, that a little girl was missing from her bed?

Maybe it was something to do with the stars, glowing overhead, the way they appeared at night-and only at night- and seemed to beckon.

Frederick was half asleep when it happened.

"Dad," he heard his daughter whisper. "are you awake?" Immediately he was fully conscious, and sitting up in the chair.

Wait, why was he in a chair instead of bed?

Right. He must have fallen asleep while making one of his models again.

"What's wrong, Annie?" he yawned, desperately trying to keep his eyes open.

"I have to go," she breathed.

"Go?" he questioned. "Go where?"

"Camp," Annabeth replied, shuffling her feet. She glanced over at the current model, which was the Siege of Antwerp, 1914. Moonlight drifted over it, casting its eerie glare.

"Right now?" he sighed. "In the middle of the night?"

Annabeth nodded, pursing her lips. "Yeah. There's been so many monster attacks lately..." she trailed off. "Another one came about an hour ago, and it got me thinking. I really need to go, Dad. I should have gone earlier, but I guess I just put it off..."

"Well, do you want me to drive you?" Dr. Chase asked, climbing out of bed. He frowned. "Or we could fly in my plane. That would be much quicker," he added. "Safer, too. Did you know that traveling by plane is the safest method of transportation, with only 0.07 deaths per every billion-"

"It's okay.I was just telling you so you wouldn't worry," Annabeth said, interrupting him. She looked at the ground. "You don't have to take me, Dad. I can get to Camp by myself. I've done it before," she muttered.

"What? No," he said, as if Annabeth were crazy. "You're my daughter, Annabeth. I'll drive you,"

"What about work?" Annabeth questioned suddenly.

"Well, if we leave in the next hour or so," he glanced at his watch. One o'clock. "We would get there at about nine thirty, and then if I drove straight back, I would get home by-" he paused. "-preferably six at the latest, and then I could just to back to work the next day, and-"

"Dad, no," Annabeth sighed. "You love work! You can't miss it!"

"You're my daughter, Annabeth," he reminded her. "I love _you_ ,"

"Would you feel better if I took a bus?" Annabeth asked, standing on one foot.

"A bus?" Frederick squinted.

"You know," Annabeth said. "A Greyhound Bus,"

"Well, I-"

"It's safe," Annabeth said. "Everyone takes them these days. Besides, they're quick, too," she added.

* * *

"Do you have food?" Frederick asked. "Money? Your ticket?"

Annabeth nodded as the bus came around the corner. "Bye Dad! I love you!"

"Bye Annabeth," he said meekly.

And the next thing Frederick knew, he was sending his little girl across the country on a bus all the way to Long Island, New York, all by herself. What was he thinking?

And as he waved her off, he really hoped that he was making the right decision.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this, and please follow/review/favorite! I'll try and update soon! Hopefully I'll get a snow day tomorrow, and I'll be able to update then. :D We have been getting tons of snow lately! Btw, how does everyone like the new cover image?**

 **-lunarchroniclesandcockatiels**

 **I still can't believe I've been working on this story for more than a year!**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Hello! Happy Superbowl Day! I actually wrote this a long time ago, but forgot to post it. Oh well. XD. Thanks to Guest,** **Spark55443, WiseGirlGeek, KoalaLover-ABC-123, GiddyGirl4Books, and animaljam for reviewing!** **:) You guys are awesome!**

 _It's 10 PM, do you know where your children are?_

Frederick blinked, looking at the picture of the ad in the old book he was reading.

"Bobby and Matthew are asleep," he heard himself mutter. "And Annabeth…" he faltered. "Is on her way to Camp Half-Blood."

He thought of when he had brought her home, less than a year ago...

 _"Okay," he said quietly, stopping the car on the side of the dusty farm road. "We're here. This is it." Dr. Chase grabbed his backpack, and started up the grassy hill, Helen and the twins trailing behind him._

 _"Are you sure?" Helen questioned quietly. He nodded._

 _"I'm positive."_

 _Bobby and Matthew ran up the hill, playing a game of tag. Helen followed closely behind. Frederick lagged behind everyone, but this time, it was okay. He was going to see his Annie._

 _Eventually, the twins sat joined their parents, too exhausted to do anything else._

 _The four of them stood on the side of hill for what seemed like forever, until the sun sank in the sky, and the stars came out of hiding. Helen squeezed his hand, smiling slightly. He squeezed hers. This was his last chance to make things right with his daughter, he was certain. His only chance._

 _Bobby and Matthew stood there, waiting, with barely any words between the two of them. Instead, they watched, in an eerie silence, day turn into night._

 _Frederick hadn't seen the stars so bright in a long time._

 _On the porch of the house, which was near the bottom of the hill and past the boundaries there stood a tall blonde girl next to a shorter, dark-haired boy. They appeared to be discussing something._

 _Dr. Chase drew in his breath, squeezing the backpack harder. Was that Annabeth? She had gotten so tall…_

 _She walked up the hill, and hugged him, albeit a little awkwardly._

 _"Hi, Dad," she said, pulling away._

 _"I missed you," he told her. Bobby and Matthew watched their sister curiously, their small eyes widening._

 _Annabeth ran her fingers through the needles of a pine tree. "I missed you too, Dad," she said, smiling slightly._

 _Five words that meant the world to him._

What he wouldn't give to hear her voice right now...

 **A/N: Thank you for reading! By the way, this chapter was requested by WiseGirlGeek!**

 **Also, since we are nearing 200 reviews, I just wanted to let everyone know that the 200th reviewer will get a oneshot dedicated to them.**

 **-lunarchroniclesandcockatiels**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: It gets better. I promise.**

* * *

 **"If only, if only, the woodpecker sighs."**

 _August 20th. August 20th, at 3:00 PM._

That was when he supposed to pick up his daughter from camp.

He wrote it on his calendar, doodled it on the back of his hand, typed it on the computer when he wasn't thinking. Helen remarked that she had never seen Frederick so excited, not since the twins came along.

"Is that your birthday?" Bobby wanted to know, pointing to his father's hand.

"No," Frederick said.

"Is it Annabeth's birthday?" he questioned.

"Nope,"

Bobby's eyes widened. "Is Mommy having a baby that day?" he gasped.

"Uh, not that I know of," Frederick stated, reddening a little.

"Oh, shut up," Matthew said, grabbing his brother's hand. "Come on, Bobby. It's just a day. Right, Dad?" he questioned, wanting to be right. Matthew always wanted to be right. Just like Annabeth.

"No, it isn't. Annabeth is coming home," Dr. Chase sighed, sitting down.

"Oh! Can she drive yet? Maybe she can take us to a movie!"

"Yeah!" Bobby cried, smiling. "I want to see a movie!"

"I think she's still a bit young to drive," Frederick informed them.

Matthew wrinkled his nose, frowning. "How come _we_ don't get to go to summer camp?"

"Ask your mother."

"Do we get to go out for dinner when Annabeth comes back?" Bobby said, hopping up and down.

"Ooh! Can I get dessert?" Matthew said.

"We'll see." Frederick muttered, going back to typing his email.

 _August 20th. August 20th, at 3:00 PM. August 20th._

How the story went, or at least the story Matthew and Bobby told the firefighters, was that Bobby yelled "Annie's coming!" while jumping on the couch.

"We should make cookies," Matthew decided, turning on the TV. "Or go sledding on the stairs."

"Yeah," Bobby said. "Cookies first!" He grabbed a pan and dumped eggs, butter, sugar, and flour into it. Matthew turned the stove on. They went out to the garage to get the sleds. Meanwhile, their "cookies" went up in flames.

Mrs. O'Malley, their elderly next door neighbor called 911 (and Helen) because she noticed smoke coming out of the window. Five minutes later, fire trucks showed up.

Needless to say, Helen was not at all pleased. "Where were you when all of this happened, Frederick?" she cried. "I was at the hospital, and then I get a phone call that my house is burning down!"

"I was working," he told her. "I didn't think they would ty to bake something!"

"Well, you need to watch them better! And you-" she turned to Matthew and Bobby, who were squirming on the couch. "You do _not_ turn on the stove, and you do _not_ try to go sledding down the stairs. Got it?"

They nodded mournfully.

 _August 20th. August 20th, at 3:00 PM. Camp Half Blood, Long Island Sound, NY._

When the day finally came, Frederick was sitting at his desk, pulling some last minute papers together when he heard a little boy scream. And then a thud.

The worst part wasn't the screaming. No, it was the empty, panicked silence that came after.

For the first time since summer vacation began, Frederick didn't hear anyone speak. He heard no one arguing over toy Lego's, or cookies. There were no fights over the TV remote, or complaints about the popsicle flavors. t seemed that not even the birds were still singing.

There was only an awful eerie silence. And then a single word.

"Daddy?" someone whispered.

He ran down the stairs and outside, his heart thudding in his chest.

Bobby stood openmouthed next to Matthew, who was lying on the ground, his arm bent in an awkward position.

"Daddy," Bobby whispered again. "Matthew fell out of the tree. From up high."

He took out his cell phone and called 911, dialing the number with shaky hands.

* * *

 _August 20th. August 20th, at 3:00 PM. Camp Half Blood, Long Island Sound, NY. Camper: Chase, Annabeth._

He sat in the waiting room for what seemed like hours.

There was no news of Matthew all day. No news. None.

This was his fault, he knew. Yet again, he had failed as a father.

Matthew was hurt, possibly dying, and Annabeth-

Well, Annabeth probably thought him no better than any of the monsters that hunted her outside of the house. The monsters, so many of which _he_ had killed. Him. Frederick Chase. A murderer.

"Frederick Chase," the doctor called, his blue mask pulled down onto his neck. He looked young, maybe in his late twenties.

"Uh, yes," he replied, rising from his chair quickly.

"Your son's been asking for you,"

"Really? He's _alive_?" The doctor looked at him curiously.

"Um, yeah. Didn't anyone tell you that?"

"No," Bobby said, pouting. "We just sat here _all day_."

"Oh," the doctor looked sheepishly at the floor. "That was probably my job. See, I'm new here, and I just finished med school like a few months ago, and so I don't really know anything yet-"

Frederick stared at him a little.

"You know what? I'm going to stop talking now." the doctor finished. "Do you want to go see your son? He's in room 202 of the pediatrics ward."

"Thank you," Frederick breathed.

* * *

 _August 20th. August 20th, at 3:00 PM. Camp Half Blood, Long Island Sound, NY. Camper: Chase, Annabeth. Cabin: Athena._

They walked into the room to find Helen holding Matthew's hand as he skipped out of the room.

"Hi Daddy!" he cried, grinning and eating ice cream. Helen looked at Frederick with raised eyebrows.

"He's okay?" Frederick questioned. "Matthew's okay?"

"He's fine," Helen sighed. She rubbed his head lovingly. He stuck his tongue out at her. "Just a few stitches on his wrist. And a concussion. What I'm wondering is why you're still here instead of in New York," she glanced at her watch. "Isn't that almost a ten hour drive? I thought you were picking her up at three."

"I was," he said, flustered. "I mean, I-I am."

"Well, it's four-thirty right now."

"Oh no," he muttered, placing his head in his hands, panicked. "I-I can't disappoint her again. She might not come back... Helen, what do I do?" he cried. She sighed, giving him a look of pity.

"Frederick, you know that's not my decision. She's your daughter,"

"But-but you're my wife," he breathed.

"And you're her _father_ ," Helen reminded him. "I'm her stepmother. You've known her since she was born. I haven't."

"I haven't either," he sighed miserably. "She was gone so long, and now it's like we're _strangers_."

"Why don't you just say you're sorry?" Matthew suggested. "Call her, and say you're sorry."

"Yeah," Bobby repeated. He crossed his arms.

"Because it doesn't work that way," Frederick told them.

"Well, why not?" Matthew questioned. "It should."

 _It should, shouldn't it?_

* * *

He drove up the road in his van, the road made out of rocks and pebbles and memories that no one wanted to remember.

It was morning when Dr. Chase finally reached the invisible boundary that no mortal could pass through, he stepped out of his car and turned towards the large house. A girl with blonde hair and braids walked towards him. When he came closer, he realized it was Annabeth.

"You're late," she said, getting in the car and slamming the door behind her. That was it. No hug, nothing. Frederick sighed and got in beside her.

"I missed you," he tried. She didn't even look at him as she placed her suitcase in the backseat, as he drove back down the road.

"You're a whole day late," Annabeth said. "I waited and waited for you, but you never showed up. Just like second grade," she added, referring to the time that he forgot to pick her up after school. For six hours. He felt the familiar pangs of guilt in his chest.

"I'm sorry," Frederick said, keeping one eye on the road and one eye on Annabeth. She was taller, he thought. And sunburned. There was a fresh scar on her cheek that he decided not to mention.

An hour passed.

"You do realize we're going to have to talk to each other eventually," he told Annabeth. But to his daughter, this was a game of sorts, and Annabeth Cassiopeia Chase didn't lose games.

Two hours. Three.

And then, as the clock was ticking to four hours and the sun was lowering in the sky, Annabeth finally spoke.

"Dad." she finally breathed, so low he wouldn't have been able to hreatr it if he wasn't listening diligently.

"Yes , sweetheart?" he replied. She flinched.

"Just don't do that to me, okay?"

"Do what?"

"Don't leave me there and forget to pick me up!" she cried. "I was all alone! Everyone else who was leaving for the school year- their parents came!"

He met her eyes. "Look, I'm sorry Annabeth. And you're right, I should have at least called you or something. The reason I'm so late is that one of your brothers had to go to the hospital because he fell out of a tree."

"Okay," she sighed, retreating back to looking out the window with her arms crossed. "Just at least _call me_. Because I was just sitting there all alone, wishing I had parents who cared about me."

"Annabeth, I care about you," he cried. "You think I would drive all the way here if I didn't?"

"Apparently not enough to call me and tell me that you would be an entire day late," she muttered, staring at the trees they drove past. Anything to avoid looking at him.

"Annabeth Chase!"

Tears sprang to her eyes. She wiped them away with a swipe of her hand. "You scared me! I thought that something happened to you. I thought you were in an accident! Or worse! I thought you were dead! I tried to call you, but your phone was off, so I called Helen, but she wouldn't even pick up, either!"

"I'm sorry," he apologized again, trying to scoop as much meaning into those words as he possibly could. "I'm sorry!"

"I know," she sighed. "I know you are, Dad,"

But maybe for what seemed like the thousandth time, sorry wasn't enough.

 **A/N: Okay, I know, I know. I haven't updated in forever. And I'm sorry. But school has been crazy lately, what with tests and projects and exams. I promise to update more once school is over!**

 **By the way, thanks for all the reviews on last chapter! I very much enjoyed reading them!**

 **-lunarchroniclesandcockatiels**


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